Keeping electronic key fob safe on the water

Salt water won’t do a 200 or 400 dollar fob any good.

I’m not against technology and advancements. In fact that is what I did for 43 years in my professional life. On the other hand I’m always amazed at how fast we become dependent on the newest technology. There seems to be a need to put solid-state electronics in every device we use.

In most situations simple is better.

I realize a lot of new cars don’t even have a visible slot to put a key into or a visible key attached to the fob. Most of them have a hidden key inside and a hidden key slot. There are all kinds of vids showing how to pop the key out of the fob and how to pop something off the door pull to get in a car with a dead fob battery.

It just seems to me like a solution looking for a problem.

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People like to start a car from a distance to get in a temperature comfortable vehicle. Open hatches also. Feel safe when it lights up. They have a panic button. Look inside a lighted car and find your car. Unlock your car from a satellite. I’d never have to fix my car if I only had a :horse::racehorse:.

Then you have cost of manufacturing so good bye steering columns, good bye brake lines, good bye throttle cables, good bye lock cylinders and mechanical linkage for locks and handles.

The ad specifically says 2 x 5 are the interior dimensions, which assumes they’re being truthful of course.

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I’m sure there not lying. My fobs are 1.5 wide but probably not the biggest. I have keys on some of my fobs also.

Re some comments about using a manual key, in the case of a full electronic fob that would be the skinny blade key that fits inside of each. And that most drivers barely ever need to know is there. I am not aware of any cars without a slot built into at least one handle for the blade, but there may be some out there.

But as far as l know that blade will not start the car. So the electronic portion still has to be preserved, and leaving it inside the car may not be possible for newer cars.

I travel for extensive times away with my spare key. Once one fob is inside the car, l cannot lock my car unless it is with the other fob. The car will not lock using the spot on the door handle. Some variation of this issue has been true for the last two cars.

I don’t know if the current chip shortage is accompanied by a shortage of blades as well, at the point that there is a nationwide coffin shortage l suppose anything can happen. But even with the blade working,to open the door, in newer cars the electronic fob has to go with the paddler.

Thus far l have not encountered a fob that wouldn’t fit in a 2 inch width. But if it’d,be a PITA to manage l fully expect that car manufacturers will eventually manage it.

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I encountered a young lady crying and panicking because the battery in her fob was dead and she could not unlock her car. She was unaware that the “key” in hand could physically open her door. She was a little embarrassed when I showed her but grateful for the assist. This could have been a big problem for her if she was in a an isolated area or was involved in an emergency situation.
My wife has an suv with no bladed key, (it has a keypad on the door), but until now I have never put any thought in how to start it with a wet or dead fob.

We have been buying KIA products The latest being a 2020 and the fobs have a flip out key. That seems to be the best of both worlds and the key is still used to start the engine.

I can see from @PaddleDog52 post that I’m way behind the curve of this fly by wire technology, but if I can hold off just a year or two I’m sure the wet key fob canoeing problem will be fixed with first retinal scanning entry and start and eventual imbedding a chip in us under our waterproof skin at the dealership. It will be as simple as “Alexa start my car temp 70 degree, Alexa load my canoe, Alexa don’t forget my PFD.

The other day I asked Alexa if she was related to HAL. She replied “in her family they don’t like to talk about that incident.”

I know all this is good for me somehow. I do hear stories like the one above where the young woman had no idea her car could be opened with a key and pause and wonder about our new world.
:canoe:

Ok, can’t give a link because my laptop is being a dog. But turns out there IS a way to start the car with a dead battery in the key fob. To lock the car w the fob inside w just the blade did not find, but perhaps some utube item l should have dug harder for

I have had to start my Mazda with a dead fob battery. Instructions are in the vehicle owner’s manual (it always puzzles me how few people read the manual for their car and regularly refer to it —with all the gizmos on modern cars this is really mandatory.) You simply touch the metal end of the “dead” fob directly to the pushbutton instead of using your finger. This connects the car’s computer directly to the chip in the fob. All the battery does is enable the chip signal to be transmitted remotely.

Also, it’s a bit fussy to do, but the vehicle owner can install a new battery in a fob. There are YouTube videos illustrating the steps.

Those are the instructions l found on Utube for the Toyota, they probably all work that way.

In fairness, while l have limped along a pretty near dead key fob for one car that was heading to the scrap yard anyway, in near 20 years or so of having one with some electronic function l have never had a battery die. It is something l should know, but the lack of crisis around this has left me pretty lazy about looking it up. I have spent considerable time with my manual, but it has mostly been learning the fancy features.

Same scenario, but instead of your keyfob failing, your battery died/fuel pump controller failed/cam sensor broke/ etc.

Do you plan for every contingency?

My key fobs have never, at any point, failed to start a car. Do you keep a backup of yours?

My flex has a spot in the center console right next to the sensor. Place a dead fob there and it will still start. On my wife’s prius, you hold it next to the button.

Use the key built into the fob to open the door and then you will almost certainly be able to start the car at least a few times

I’m glad I drive a car that not only has a six-speed transmission, but an ignition key and even two knobs on the radio. Life is good. :relaxed:

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Do you mean 6-speed MANUAL transmission? If so, awesome, they’re hard to come by these days…

Yup. Six on the floor. I’ve never owned a vehicle that didn’t have a manual transmission.

Me, too! The fob is optional; the key can open the door and start the engine.

Unfortunately, I could not get manual crankdown side windows, but the rear slider window of the cab is manual.

I do wish the manufacturer had not eliminated the passenger-door lockhole!

Still love the manual transmission, too. Fun.

I will admit having electronic windows is handy. And safer if you need to open or close a window while driving.

A number of years ago a friend of mine bought a new Lincoln. Electric windows, the doors locked automatically when the car was moving. He didn’t have his cell phone and no one was home at his house.

He pulled into his driveway and everything died. He couldn’t open the doors or windows. He had to break a window, which took some serious effort, to get out of his car.

Ain’t the future wonderful?

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Another Aquapac user here. It stays in the chest pocket on my drysuit or drytop when on the water. I keep the fob in the flexible case all the time, not just on the water.